Glacier-proximal water temperatures in Kongsfjorden and Tempelfjorden, Svalbard, 2016-2017

Subsurface ocean temperatures have been harvested in Kongsfjorden and Tempelfjorden, Svalbard, in close proximity to the calving ice fronts of the glaciers Kronebreen, terminating in Kongsfjorden, and Tunabreen, terminating in Tempelfjorden. Measurement were made using long term underwater sensing bottom landers (LoTUS buoys). Data were sampled at 10 minute intervals at a water depth of 67 m in Kongsfjorden and 54 m in Tempelfjorden, corresponding to 15 m and 35 m above the seafloor. Data were collected for 376 days in Kongsfjorden and 232 days in Tempelfjorden.

Data description

They provide comma separated information on date and time (YY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS) and water temperatures measured. Time is recorded in UTC by the instruments internal clock. Temperatures are recorded in deg C.

In Kongsfjorden, a LoTUS buoy was moored at 67 m water depth (15 m above seafloor) and sampled in-situ water temperature every 10 minutes for 376 days (25 August 2016 to 5 September 2017). In Tempelfjorden, a LoTUS buoy was moored at 54 m water depth (35 m above the seafloor) and sampled in-situ water temperature every 10 minutes for 232 days (2 September 2016 to 21 April 2017).

The Kongsfjorden LoTUS had a time drift of 54 min 55 sec (last record dated by LoTUS internal clock: 5 Sept 2017, 09:35.05 UTC, at real time 5 Sept 2017, 10:30.00 UTC). The Tempelfjorden LoTUS had no time drift, but a constant lag of 54 sec behind real time.

Position of the LoTUS buoys, with longitude and latitude given in dd:mm.mm: Kongsfjorden 12:32.14 E 78:53.05 N; Tempelfjorden 17:23.30 E, 78:26.85 N.

Comments

Long Term Underwater Sensing bottom landers (LoTUS buoys) are non-commercial instruments developed at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, and are here used to measure subsurface ocean temperatures. As LoTUS buoys can be deployed instantaneously at any given location, and from any given platform (at sea or in the air), they are ideally suited to be moored in close proximity to calving glacier fronts.